Srinagar: President Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Friday said that the traditional political parties in the valley have neglected and deprived the Dal Lake dwellers of basic facilities for decades.
“For decades, our brothers and sister of Mir Behri and adjoining areas in Dal have been deprived of basic necessities like accessibility, clean drinking water, electricity infrastructure, good schools, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Both traditional political parties have exploited the inhabitants of Dal Lake while intentionally subjecting them to a life of penury and misery. Successive MLAs and regimes hid behind numerous excuses to justify the ruthless discrimination meted out to the people of Dal,” he said.
Bukhari was speaking during a massive public meeting in Mir Behri, Dal along with other senior leaders of the party, including the Mayor of Srinagar and the Party’s Youth President, Junaid Azim Mattu who happens to be the elected Corporator from Bod Dal Ward of Mir Behri.
Bukhari said that both traditional political parties have used the Dal dwellers for their political gains. “These exploiters snatched from your children their rights to be equal citizens of Srinagar but now I am proud to say that as your elected representative and our Mayor, Junaid Mattu has taken visible and unprecedented steps to address the enormous governance deficit in Mir Behri. Today’s outpouring of love, affection and support is a heartening testimony to your unwavering faith in him,” he said.
Bukhari said that both National Conference and PDP have offered nothing but fake promises and lies to the inhabitants of Dal. “You are the crown of the Dal ecosystem and the lake is incomplete without you – its most prized and valuable human component that makes Dal Lake one of the most unique living and breathing human ecosystems in the entire world. You not only represent but also enchanted the beauty of Dal Lake but unfortunately, these areas were deprived of all the basic facilities, and no one in the past bothered to transform these areas into tourist villages and model areas that would attract tourists and generate employment and economic impetus in the area,” he stated.
Mayor of Srinagar and Apni Party Youth President, who is also the elected representative of Bod Dal, while addressing the massive public meeting said that he has made it a mission to change the destiny of the inhabitants of Dal and transform their lives out of the darkness of hopelessness – towards a future of hope and dignity. He said it is his utmost honour to represent the people of Dal as their elected representative and that he would leave no stone unturned to continue the mission of providing basic infrastructure and facilities to the people.
“When you elected me as your representative four years ago, I promised you that I would leave no stone unturned to fight against the mindset and administrative eco-system that has discriminated against you for decades – depriving you of your basic human rights. Today, while a lot remains to be achieved, I am proud to say that we have done what successive Chief Ministers, Governments, and local MLAs from Hazratbal promised yet failed to deliver. I assure you that this journey will continue until the Dal dwellers are brought at par in rights and dignity to their fellow citizens in the rest of Srinagar,” he said.
